Real stories · A heel I can actually wear

The little heels I can wear all day without my feet screaming

I'm 67, and I do love a smart little heel — for church, for a lunch, for feeling properly dressed. But every pair I own has my feet burning by the time the puddings come out, so more often than not I give in and wear flats and feel a touch dowdy all day.

That's always been the bargain, hasn't it. The smart heels hurt, and the comfortable shoes never look dressy. I'd more or less decided that heels and I had parted ways for good.

Then I came across the Coralie heels from a British label called York Boutique — a low block-heel slingback in the summer sale. I chose the black, not really expecting to be able to walk in them.

But I can. There's a steady little block heel rather than a spindly one, a properly cushioned padded insole, and an elastic slingback at the back that just stays put. The toe is pointed but roomy, so nothing pinches. Smart and comfortable, at long last.

A proper heel, but I can walk in them all day. I'd stopped believing that was possible.

A smart heel like this, I assumed, would be seventy pounds. But York Boutique sells direct, so they were £34.95 in the summer sale. I could hardly believe it.

A friend at church asked where they were from, because I wasn't shifting from foot to foot for once. They come in two colours — black and brown — and in sizes 3 to 9.

If you miss wearing a heel but not the aching feet, do treat yourself to a look. The Coralie is rated 4.7 out of 5 by more than 300 women, it's £34.95 in the summer sale instead of £70 — half price — and the middle sizes always seem to go first.